Regional Product Manager

ABOUT THE COMPANY

CHANCEN International, a non-profit, offers ethical financing for African youth to access quality tertiary education through Income Share Agreements (ISAS).

JOB SUMMARY

RequirementsEssentialBased in Rwanda, Kenya or South Africa — this role requires deep contextual understanding of the markets Chancen operates in and the communities we serve. Applications from outside Africa will not be consideredGenuine obsession with financial inclusion — you should be able to speak at length about why access to education finance matters, what the gaps are across the continent, and where the opportunity lies.This is not a line on a CV; it should be evident from your work history and how you thinkProven product management experience — minimum 7 years of experience, at least four years in a product role, with clear examples of owning a backlog, driving prioritisation, and delivering working software in a resource-constrained environmentExperience working across multiple countries or markets simultaneously, ideally within AfricaComfort with AI tools in practice — not theoretical knowledge, but demonstrated use of AI in your own work, with a view on where it creates real value and where it does notStrong analytical instincts — able to read data, identify patterns, and make product decisions based on evidence rather than opinionExcellent written and verbal communication in English — this role produces written artefacts (roadmaps, requirement documents, sprint review summaries, steering committee reports) that need to be clear and actionableStrongly preferredExperience in fintech, financial services, or edtech — ideally in a context where the end users are low-income or underserved communitiesFamiliarity with agile sprint delivery and working directly alongside software developersUnderstanding of data systems, APIs, and system integrations at a conceptual level — you do not need to be a developer, but you need to understand the implications of technical decisions for productExperience with conversational AI products, chatbots, or WhatsApp-based user engagementAbility to turn requirements into evaluation datasets highly desired.French or Kinyarwanda language skills an advantage given our Rwanda operations

RESPONSIBILITIES

Product strategy and roadmap ownershipOwn and maintain the Group product roadmap across automation and the Chancen Companion, aligned to Chancen's 2026 OKRs and the Technology and Automation StrategyPrioritise the product backlog using the Opportunity Scoring methodology — ensuring decisions are grounded in operational evidence, OKR alignment, and user impact, not technology preferenceLead the quarterly product review at the Technology Steering Committee, presenting roadmap progress, trade-offs, and recommended priorities.Make and document Build vs Buy recommendations for significant technology decisions, in accordance with the framework set out in the Technology and Automation StrategyTranslate the feedback loop between operations and innovation into concrete product decisions — ensuring what country teams are experiencing informs what Chancen Tech builds next.Chancen Companion product managementOwn the product requirements and feature backlog for the Chancen Companion across all three markets, working directly with CTO and the Chancen Tech teamBuild prototypes stemming from the above requirements, in close collaboration with the CTO. This role expects pre-existing skills and/or willingness to learn AI-native workflows.Drive the rollout programme currently underway: Kenya full rollout, South Africa and Rwanda beta and soft launch phases, and the expansion to all users per marketGather structured feedback from internal users (country operations staff) and external users (students and members) and translate it into product improvementsMonitor engagement, adoption, and user satisfaction metrics across all markets — and make calls on what to change, add, or stopContribute to the positioning of the Companion as an external B2B product, ensuring it is always designed as if the customer is a financial institution, not just Chancen's own teamsExplore and propose AI-powered features within the Companion that could improve financial coaching, repayment behaviour, and member outcomes.Operational automation oversightWork with Country Product & Systems Managers across Rwanda, Kenya, and South Africa to review submitted automation opportunities, score them against the methodology, and advise on prioritisation for the IT SteercoEnsure the nine-step automation methodology is being applied consistently across countries — and that Discovery Steps (Identify, Map, Design) produce quality inputs before anything moves to BuildCollaborate actively with the CTO and Country teams during the Build phase steps.Own the product sign-off at Pilot and Rollout) — the Group PM is the person who confirms a solution is genuinely ready, not just technically completeUser insight and continuous improvementRun structured feedback sessions with country staff, students, and PEIs to surface pain points and unmet needs — this is the primary input for both automation prioritisation and Companion product decisionsAnalyse usage data, support ticket patterns, and adoption metrics to identify where solutions are working and where they are notMaintain a clear distinction between what is a product problem, what is a training problem, and what is a process problem — and ensure each is addressed in the right wayAI and emerging technologyStay current with AI tools and applications relevant to financial inclusion, youth engagement, education finance, and operational automationIdentify practical AI use cases within the Chancen context — for both the Companion (member-facing coaching, repayment nudges, financial literacy) and internal operations (risk assessment, portfolio monitoring, reporting)Brief the Head of IT and central team on emerging tools and approaches that could raise the ceiling of what Chancen's technology can do.  Run capability-building workshops, hackathons and similar internal events.

REQUIRED SKILLS

Market research, intelligence, Business management, Data analysis, Business development, Marketing, Business performance monitoring, Product management

REQUIRED EDUCATION

Bachelor's degree